Poultry News

Warning of Poultry Shortages in Ghana

12 February 2015

GHANA - A ban on imports of poultry from the US and Nigeria could lead to a shortage of chicken in Ghana, poultry farmers have warned.

The Ghana Poultry Farmers Association has warned of a possible shortage of poultry products in the country if government does not release a 39 million cedi (GHS; around US$11 million) in support package for the sector, reports Ghana Web.

According to the poultry farmers, they lack the capacity to meet domestic demand following government’s temporary ban on poultry products from Nigeria and recently from the United States of America.

The recent ban on poultry products from the US follows the discovery by scientists that chicken imports coming into Ghana from the US contain arsenic, a poisonous chemical which causes cancer.

Ghana also placed a temporary ban on poultry products from Nigeria as part of efforts to stop the spread of bird flu into the country.

Speaking to Citi Business News, the National President of the Ghana Poultry Farmers Association, Kwadwo Asante said the support package can help sustain the sector during the period of the ban.

"We need serious government intervention; the money they promised to give us from the budget has still not arrived.

They have to support local production or else we will have a huge vacuum if we don’t deal with this, there will be a huge shortage because of the ban," he told the newspaper.